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Obama at the N.A.A.C.P. Convention

By John M. Broder July 14, 2008 8:50 pmJuly 14, 2008 8:50 pm

Senator Barack Obama at the N.A.A.C.P. convention in Cincinnati on Monday.

CINCINNATI – It is Youth Night at the annual N.A.A.C.P. convention here. What could be more dramatic evidence of the changing of the guard in the national African-American leadership than the appearance of 46-year-old Senator Barack Obama as keynote speaker and presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party?

Mr. Obama was careful to pay homage to the giants of the movement who came before him as he addressed the nation’s oldest civil rights group, including the man who introduced him, Julian Bond, the 68-year-old chairman of the N.A.A.C.P.

But as if in answer to those who might see him as a presumptuous young man, coasting in the wake of those who fought and died to make his ascension possible, he noted that many of the titans of the movement were themselves quite young when they assumed leadership positions.

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was but 26 years old when he led a bus boycott in Montgomery that mobilized a movement,” Mr. Obama said. “John Lewis was only 25 years old, an activist, when he faced down Billy clubs on the bridge in Selma and helped arouse the conscience of our nation. Diane Nash was even younger when she helped found SNCC and led Freedom Rides down south. Your chairman, Julian Bond, was a mere 25-year old state legislator when he put his own shoulder to the wheel of history.”
He went on, “It is because of them; and all those whose names never made it into the history books, those men and women, young and old, black, brown white, clear-eyed and straight-backed, who refused to settle for the world as it is; who had the courage to remake the world as it should be it’s because of them that I stand before you tonight as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States of America.”

He did not retreat from remarks on personal responsibility that provoked an angry and crude response from one of those earlier leaders, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, a leader of the civil rights movement for decades and a two-time Democratic candidate for president. Mr. Jackson last week said he believed Mr. Obama was “talking down to black people” by lecturing on morality and said he’d like to rearrange his anatomy.

Mr. Obama said that government has a responsibility to provide education, employment opportunities and tax breaks for struggling families. In return, parents have a duty to turn off the television, attend parent-teacher conferences and teach their sons to treat women with respect.

“Now, I know some say I’ve been too tough on folks about this responsibility. N.A.A.C.P., I’m here to report I’m not going to stop talking about it,” he said without mentioning Reverend Jackson by name.

“Because I believe that in the end, it doesn’t matter how much money we invest in our communities, or how many 10-point plans we propose, or how many government programs we launch, none of it will make any difference, at least not enough of a difference, if we don’t also at the same time seize more responsibility in our own lives,” he said.

He concluded, “Dr. King understood this. He said it’s not an either-or proposition. It’s a both-and proposition. It’s both. We need individual responsibility and societal responsibility. We need government doing what it’s supposed to do. We need C.E.O.’s doing what they’re supposed to do. We need parents doing what they’re supposed to do. That’s how well truly honor those who came before.” Because I know that Thurgood Marshall did not argue Brown versus Board of Education so that some of us could stop doing our jobs as parents. That wasn’t the deal. And I know that nine little children did not walk through a schoolhouse door in Little Rock so that we could stand by and let our children drop out of school and turn to gangs for the support they are not getting elsewhere in the community. That’s not the freedom they fought so hard to achieve. That’s not the America that our leadership sought to build. That’s not the dream they had for our children.”

Senator John McCain, the likely Republican nominee, is slated to address the N.A.A.C.P. convention on Wednesday.

Obama is emphasizing the role of parents in rearing their children, and he has done this before. He is doing this for votes. Should he be elected, it will all be completely forgotten. I am not willing to pay taxes for people who have children they know they cannot afford, teenage “parents,” deadbeat fathers who forget their children completely. Obama should have addressed the out-of-wedlock problem that plagues this country. No matter what he says about parents’ responsibility, I see this as nothing but a move to get votes. Some of us are sick of paying for people having children, and they cannot even take care of their own lives.

Those who think that Obama is taking the position he is about personal responsibility for purely political reasons ignore Obama’s thesis that change comes from the bottom up not top down. It has to be the expectation of the community that people take personal responsibility for their lives. When they do they will not expect politicians to do things for them but only to make the playing field a level. Conservatives are going to think that liberals are the one who will have trouble with this attitude but conservatives will have as much trouble since the EPA will have to start protecting the environment and not the rights of those who plunder it.

The American people are hungry for fairness in dealings with their government. Obama is addressing that need, McCain is not. The question is will Obama address this when he is president? I think Obama has integrity and he will. From the opinions of McCain supporters, some will not think so. The answer will come in the fullness of time.

I think Obama has put himself in a unique position from where he can co-opt the language of “responsibility” and rescue it from the “personal” bubble conservatives had wrapped around it since the days of “Contract with America.” He has a real opportunity, like Bill Clinton had with welfare reform, to build a centrist coalition by making responsibility a unifying theme of his campaign: public responsibility, fiscal responsibility, social responsibility, global responsibility, and so on. This will help bring his campaign back on track where it remains progressive enough to retain the democratic core while bringing in sizeable independents and some republicans.

Barack Obama is focusing on the nuclear family. He keeps hammering away at parental obligations. He is vying for mainstream voters who do not want a return to the old welfare system that rewarded irresponsibility. Whether he his successful remains to be seen. All I get out of it is that it is a campaign strategy to lure mainstream voters, those of us who the liberals think are crazy to for the reason that we expect parents to care for their children and their children’s future. Offering a helping hand is one thing, but welfare for the able-bodied as a career is another, something Bill Clinton ended.

First, I admit that I am a strong Obama supporter and gave him my first donation the day after he announced his candidacy in early 2007. However, I had a personal incident with John McCain in 1996 and I can assure you that he is a bully and intellectual lightweight (graduated 4th from the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy and I am sure that strings were pulled for this “outstanding” intellectual performance because his Daddy/Grandfather were Admirals). Why don’t you and the other Clinton diehards stuff it because I assure that a McCain administration will be a disaster. Gee, the U.S. government just assumed another $5 trillion in debt today with the takeover of Freddie Mae/Mac. The U.S. government is now $15 trillion in debt or every person in the U.S. owes about $50-$60K in this debt. So, what is wrong with Obama talking about personal responsibility and fiscal responsibility? Johnnie McSame wants to continue tax cuts for the rich while the United States is going broke, no I take that back, WE ARE ALREADY BROKE!

As far as Obama is concerned the only thing black people need are lectures. I have yet to hear him say anything to blacks that did not start with “Take care of your kids.” Take more responsibility. He is only feeding this stereotype of blacks as a bunch of irresponsible dead beats. But if 90% of black people who will vote for him thinks that is the message they want to hear from Obama who I’m to argue.

For the record I know a lot of blacks since I’m from Haiti and all, and trust me they are very, very responsible people and they do take care of their kids. They work 2 or 3 jobs to make sure that their kids have the best. But Obama loves generalization as long as it gets him elected. So much for old politics being dead. Long live old politics.

A key part of leading and running any organization is setting reasonable expectations/standards and then exceeding them.

Not only is Obama setting realistic expectations to the black community about what his administration would do for them (answer: exactly what they’ll do for themselves), but his solution is very practical and it sets him apart from typical liberal democrats.

This is the difference between Obama and black neo-conservatives. And i’m glad he laid it out adroitly.

Similar to the difficulty of pundits and bloggers to frame Obama in this left/or right prism; pundits and bloggers such as Jason Linkins from the huffington post in particular, claim that Obama’s message is simply one of black responsibility.

He deftly explains that the modernist binary of either/or constructs are part of the problem. Personal responsibility and fair, anti-racist policies are interconnected.

The medias polarization into conservative talk shows, liberal talk shows and the like has made it difficult for them to define Obama.

Likewise the MSM’s ignorance to the diverse scholarly, political and cultural attitudes of blacks from all walks of life leads to their simple definitions and schoolyard coverage.

We see this with the Jesse Jackson uproar. Obama is not the antithesis of Jesse, he’s the evolution of the Jesse’s of the world. Obama inherits the same stylized(although less unintentionally hilarious) style of oratory that benefited Rev. Jackson.

Or even with the lack of detailed coverage of black support for Obama. Such coverage usually reitterates his Iowa win, SC’s Clinton debacle and thats it. Besides a few outlets little attention to how Obama is connecting with a variety of black communities–poor, middle class and working class. This flies in the face of recent Pew research that shows clear clashes amongst poor and middle class blacks.

I commend NY times for covering the event and also recognizing Obama’s rhetorical response to criticisms from some such as Andrew Young, a Clinton surrogate about “it not being his time.”

Also to Mr. McNamara, you should do your research. Out of wedlock children are rising in white households as well. and there are millions of whites and non-blacks on welfare; moreover do you even know how much of your tax money goes to welfare?

“Calculated?” “More of endless hot air?” Posted by Janet Greer and others who in spite of Obama’s consistency on individual responsibility cannot see past their own self serving bias.

For eight years we have hand “hot air” blown up all of our you know what. We have had cold blooded, CALCULATED, dishonest tactics to benefit just a few in this country. The headlines today, on the mortage and banking situation happened because the oh so wonderful administration who blew hot air for 8 years would not, and did not provide oversight while big corporate fat cats just got fatter. But hey – they wear a suit and tie, and probably place their fat you know what in church on Sundays so we don’t equate them with the irresponsible guy not supporting his kids.

Paying for out of wedlock parents and children? Hey that would have cost less than everything else we are paying for now – which includes billions of dollars on an illegal war.

Why don’t you all just quietly stay lying down while you continue to be screwed and let McCain continue some of the blowing of air you know where????

Obama has not made a move to the center. Compared to Clinton he was the centrist candidate. He always indicated that expenditures were important to him. He refrained from the high expenditures for his campaign management and advisors, in contrast to both McCain and Clinton. His health care policy was less ambitious than Clinton’s but is also 30% less expensive. When he talks about any expenditure he also talks about paying for it. Obama was thought of by people as being liberal, the most liberal senator according to the National Journal. But when you hold the position that money counts and is to be spent wisely and constructively, it follows that you take responsibility for the money you spend. It is not very different than taking responsibility for your actions which Obama espouses now. Your dismissive remark that Obama moved to the center is inaccurate for in January or February Douglas Kmeic, the very conservative constitutional lawyer and law professor endorsed Obama and that was at the height of the primary elections. You need to evaluate things more thoroughly and don’t parrot the MSM, because their accuracy is poor. They have an agenda in this race and it is to keep it a close one and in depth analysis is not in their job description and in many cases not within their capabilities.

I agree – Barack Obama has no record on working with the youths and young people even in his own constitutiency on this issue – or really any issue.

I do happen to think that many communities need to work harder to stop underage pregnancies, drug use – more responsible parenting and more responsible members of community.

But Barack is giving this speech but also seeking to reinstate the funding to these communities through the faith-based funds… this will do nothing but effectively reinstate the welfare rolls that Clinton worked so hard to get them off. Its a shame – he’s such a shameless panderer.

Janet Greer: You obviously have no idea what you are talking about. If you read any of his books or listen to his speech before this year, Obama has always take that position about blacks taking personal responsiblity. I suggests that you check more facts before you write….

Obama is addressing the father thing again? African-American fathers aren’t in their children’s lives because they are often in jail or prison or trying to struggle to survive. Welfare takes care of families when there is only one parent in the home and not often when there are two. Men need money and work to care for families and there often isn’t work or money at the bottom. Many young men learn skills that don’t have anything to do with legal work or school. They take getting a girl pregnant as a sign of manhood and they are often in prison later. School is not something that is focused on very often. Kids in school focus on each other saying things to each other and creating fights. They don’t learn to read and write and if they are lucky they can become sports stars. Or rappers, where bad behavior makes a lot of money and you can be famous. There is something societal going on and the problems feed the system. The idea of the bottom-top thing goes only so far. That is what criticizing men for their fathering does and asking kids to be really really good in the schools where no one is getting an education does. That is what we have asked people to do time and time again.
If Obama is so sold on the bottom-top model then why is he running for the top position? I would suspect a top-bottom approach. There does need to be some adjustment to government policies towards the poor and how we treat them. I don’t think Obama will do it. He isn’t a leader he is a star who likes to be liked and admired by everyone. If the NAACP was a hostile audience, he probably wouldn’t have gone there and as long as they are going to pander to almost every whim of his, they’ll take this abuse too so he didn’t worry about him. How long did it take for Jesse to say he was sorry and be lambasted by many African-Americans? Less than 24 hours. It’s all about the votes kids. Empowerment? No, not if you get in Obama’s way and fail to follow the program.

I really do not like to be preached to and lectured by someone who is running for president. Why should we take our cues from him. If his true calling was to be a minister then he should have done so and people could have joined his church. Most of us, who have really been working in the community, not using it as a political step up for our ambition, have been teaching personal responsibilty for 20 + years. We know all about giving a helping hand to those willing to help themselves rather than a hand out. He has to realize that his condesending attitude is why Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson and probably plenty others if they were honest about it, are not big fans of his. Many are betting on your win Barack, to save the Dem party, but sometimes you just need to tone it down a little, it gets to be a little much.

To the naysayers (and you know who you are): Nonsense! This theme has been close to Obama’s heart because it’s part of his personal story. If you’ve read or heard Obama’s Father’s Day speech, you can’t call his Father’s Day speech “hot air” and claim any intellectual honestyHere’s an excerpt:(//www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/27/obama.fathers.ay/)

“How many times in the last year has this city lost a child at the hands of another child? How many times have our hearts stopped in the middle of the night with the sound of a gunshot or a siren? How many teenagers have we seen hanging around on street corners when they should be sitting in a classroom? How many are sitting in prison when they should be working, or at least looking for a job? How many in this generation are we willing to lose to poverty or violence or addiction? How many?

Yes, we need more cops on the street. Yes, we need fewer guns in the hands of people who shouldn’t have them. Yes, we need more money for our schools, and more outstanding teachers in the classroom, and more afterschool programs for our children. Yes, we need more jobs and more job training and more opportunity in our communities.

But we also need families to raise our children. We need fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception. We need them to realize that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child – it’s the courage to raise one.” (//www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/27/obama.fathers.ay/)

I find it hard to understand why some people denigrate Obama’s ideas even though he’s articulated what I am guessing they themselves believe.

Maybe in one of his upcoming speeches Obama will address the virtues of open-mindedness!

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